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During my commute to and from work (and by commute I mean 8 block walk), I have notice some strange behaviors from the city folk. Maybe I just don’t get it because I have not lived in a city for very long, so if my city dwelling friend have any incite into this please share.

First observation, reading while walking to and from work. OK, I can understand why everyone wears headphones when out and about. Personally, I do this so I can pretend not to hear all the panhandlers in the streets, but I would find reading quite difficult. How would you not walk into someone? I would thinkthis also makes it harder to dodge cyclists. Which brings me to my next observation…

Why on earth would anyone ride a bike while wearing sandals and a dress? Now perhaps the sandal thing only drives me crazy because both Tim and I have suffered some pretty nasty foot/leg injuries on bicycles, but I can’t see how anyone could navigate the hilly streets of the Emerald City with out wearing cycling shoes or at least sneakers. Take it from someone who has crushed her foot in the fork of a bike and for goodness sake please change your shoes. And while your at it change out of those dresses. Every business here encourages their employees to find a more Eco-friendly way to commute, so most places provide a locker room of sorts so you can shower and change. Trust me you will feel way more comfortable riding in proper attire. Or, at least wear bike shorts under the dress, it does get rather breezy around here ladies.

Last but not least, it’s good to be friends with the guys who own the Yellow Leaf Cupcake Co. downstairs. They let me in a half hour before they open so I can get a cup of Delicious herbal tea on my way to work, and they always let me sample the new cupcake flavors they are trying out. In return I am trying to drum up business for them by always using my yellow leaf travel mug and I brought cupcakes into the office which was a big hit.

Like every good Seattllite we have learned that on the days it is not raining, one must take full advantage of the shining sun. Without having to travel far from home, we have found the following outdoor activities most enjoyable:

Olympic Sculpture Park

The park is run by the Seattle Art Museum and is free to the public. It offers incredible views of the Puget Sound and Mt. Rainier while it showcases some beautiful works of art. I like to think of it as my backyard, even though it is roughly 8 blocks a way.

If you have walked through the park or taken the free tour of the park (at noon on Saturday & Sunday) and you feel like you could walk a bit further, there is a walking and bike trail that starts where the park tour ends. How convenient!

The trails start at the eye benches shown in the picture above and continues north for 2 miles right along the Puget Sound. There are spots along the trail where you can walk into the water or you can sit on a park bench an take in the view.

Harbor Tour

If being out on the water on a sunny day is more your thing, we can recommend a harbor tour.

The tour is an hour long and costs $15-$19 depending on the season. It takes you on a tour of Seattle as seen from the Puget Sound. Some of the views are just incredible.

An algorithm is a finite sequence of instructions, an explicit, step-by-step procedure for solving a problem. – Wikipedia

Having moved to the Seattle area a little over a month ago from Boston, I never really understood why people were so enamored with a cup of coffee that had a semi-naked mermaid emblazoned on the side. In Boston, Starbucks locations weren’t on every corner but you weren’t too far from one if you were in your car and needed a caffeine fix. Seattle is a completely different story.

As the saying goes, “When in Rome…” (you know the rest), so I ventured into my local Starbucks less than a block away from the apartment. Picking something that seemed innocuous at the time, I ordered a Grande Chai Latte. That was 2 weeks ago. According to the Starbucks website, their Chai Lattes are “A spicy drink of black tea infused with cardamom, cinnamon, black pepper and star anise added to freshly steamed milk.”

Little did I know that underneath the frothy, milky heaven of foam there would be a wicked concoction that would keep me awake at night thinking about its spicy goodness…yearning for the hours to fly by quickly so I could roll out of bed and get to my local Starbucks. In the back of my head I’m thinking that there has to be a 12-step program to help me with my new-found addiction. Sometimes I would stop into a Starbucks 3 times a day to pick up my favorite elixir. Just passing a Starbucks would make my tongue tingle as the round mermaid logo would invite me in as if she were saying, “Drink me.” Some people would say that Starbucks is evil and corporate. I like to look at the coffee cup half-full…Starbucks is crafty and smart!

Having gone through the “I just had the last sip of my latte, where am I going to get my next fix!” experience too many times I care to mention publicly, I happened on the Starbucks Algorithm. Quite frankly, there’s no science or proof that such a thing exists but in my own meanderings. For all I know there could be a Top Secret group of baristas at Starbucks HQ walking around in green lab coats and pocket protectors figuring out where the next store opening will be. I find it a strange coincidence that just when I am about to finish my latte and the “Oh snap, I’m almost done” panic attack is about to kick in, there’s a Starbucks within a 1 or 2 block radius from where I may be standing. It’s as if the Starbucks mermaid keeps following me around asking me if I would like a refill…and you know what? Don’t mind if I do!

Update: Checked the Starbucks website…there are 102 Starbucks in a 5-mile radius from where I live. 102!

Now that we’ve officially moved to The Emerald City, people are going to be visiting from far and wide. As with any visitors that arrive at SEA-TAC, there’s a list of “staples” where to take people on their inaugural trip out. Here’s what we have so far:

The Space Needle – Something that can be seen from every shot that’s taken of the Seattle skyline. Seeing as we’ve already done it, we’ll wait for you in the gift shop downstairs. BTW, if you upgrade to the “2 Visits in 24 Hours pass”, you can make that second trip yourself, the gift shop is not THAT interesting. If you decide to grab a bite to eat, bring us along! Always wanted to know what a $37 sandwich would taste like.

Monorail – Who would have thought that having a monorail with Point A and Point B as the entire journey would be a good idea. Seattle did. You know you’re not a tourist when you take the monorail to actually commute from Seattle Center to Westlake Center. Yes, you could walk it, but when it rains, the monorail is a nice dry option. Also, sit up front if there’s no kids crying that you took their spot.

Experience Music Project & Science Fiction Museum – Some call it an eyesore, others think it’s a cathedral to past musicians that were able to transform 8 notes or the same 3 chords into works of art. It’s one of those things that you need to do when you come to Seattle to say that you’ve done it. Now, it’s no Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and Museum (thanks Cleveland!), however, it’s still pretty neat to walk through just to see it from the inside. Skip the iPod tour, it seemed like a good idea at the time, but the interface can be a little confusing at times and it doesn’t tell you much more than you can read on the little placards in the exhibits.

Westlake Center et al. – The heart of shopping in Seattle. Complete with bubble tea, Starbucks (not the original) and if you’re lucky…the occasional protest (sometimes it’s against the Macy’s across the street, sometimes it’s about Gaza, you never know).

Pike Place Market – This is where the original Starbucks is (see #4). You’ll recognize it by the insanely long line and music coming from across the street. Pike Place Market is also home of Pike Place Fish Market, the very place where they throw the fish. Again, look for the huge crowd with only the locals buying fish. Rachel The Pig is nearby too. Good luck snapping a pic…it’s very popular with parents plopping their kids on top of her and coaxing them with candy to smile. One of the nice things about The Market is the fresh flowers in the summertime. You’ll be able to find flowers in colors not normally found in nature. There’s also a bunch of local merchants peddling their wares and most of the food vendors offer free samples. Also of note…the place with the little donuts (long line and sugar in the air) and a couple of stalls down is the hot dog joint with fresh-dipped corn dogs.

The Ducks – Something that every major city has, well maybe not the ones that are landlocked (sorry Branson, Missouri). Haven’t done these yet, but it’s on the list, because they are the ugliest things on the road and there are some good pic snapping opportunities.

The Taphouse Grill – I can’t think of what’s more impressive…the halibut sandwich (ask for it without cheese) or the 140 beers on tap. I’ll go with the fish on this one. Not that I have anything against a selection of beers that requires its own menu, it’s just that the fish was REALLY good.

Easy Street Records – They have a couple of locations in the Seattle area. You never know who you could bump into when shopping at Easy Street. Some of the CDs are as low as 99 cents. Trust me, they’re crap. Go there either if you want to pick something up or just to browse. In case you were wondering, there are other people than Jimi Hendrix, Pearl Jam, and Soundgarden that came out of Seattle.

Fred Meyer – Has to be one of the neatest stores that we’ve visited so far. Where else can you pick up a bag of frozen peas, a Seattle Sounders FC hoodie, and a chrysanthemum?

Mt. Rainier – It’s a 3 hour drive from Seattle. Buy a postcard or take a picture.

REI – The flagship store is located just off of I-5…and it is a wonder to behold. You can go in there and not know what half the stuff does, but there’s something about it that makes you think that you can traverse their climbing wall. Hell, Franklin D. Roosevelt would be inspired to go snow shoeing after a trip to REI!

Seattle Public Library – You don’t need to be a card-carrying member walk through the doors. But stand outside it for a minute or two to take it in. OK, enough standing outside, go inside and take a look. First thing you’ll notice entering on the 4th Ave side is the book return. Watch the 4:30 minute video in the corner. Fascinating. It really is. Take the escalators to the other floors and just walk around. Be sure to stop at the shop on the 3rd floor, there’s a bunch of neat things if you’re looking for something to take back home that isn’t a salmon on dry ice.

Qwest Field – If you’re lucky enough to be here when a game is on, try and grab some tickets. Especially in the summertime when the weather is nice and it’s a night game…can’t beat it. Tickets are cheap, concessions not so much, but it’s a great night out.

Dick’s (on Capitol Hill) – It’s bad luck to have 13 items on a list, so here’s a freebie. Dick’s is an institution. The burgers are cheap (couple bucks each), shakes are good, and the fries are cut fresh. That being said, make sure there’s a bathroom nearby as your meal will run through you faster than a Japanese Bullet Train.

Uwajimaya – Known to locals as Uwajimaya, this Asian market is huge. If you’re looking for a Red Bull, freeze-dried squid, and a Beard Papa cream puff…this is the place you want to be!

Seattle is filled with stuff to do…from walking the piers, to walking downtown, to walking to the Science Center (are you getting my drift). You don’t need to rent a car here, besides if you stay longer than a week, you’ll need to get a second mortgage for the parking. There’s lots of great restaurants, haven’t encountered any bad ones yet but I have my suspicions. I’m sure that I’m forgetting things like Pioneer Square, the Utilikilt store, and The Underground Tour. I’ll leave that for the next list.

In preparation for your trip to The Emerald City, we thought we would make your stay more amenable with the above-shown bottle of Tio Pepe. Now, that being said, your attempts to thwart our pursuit for this supposedly banned / non-imported beverage have been foiled. Whilst walking around Seattle this afternoon we happened upon an Italian grocery store in Pike Place Market. Did they have it? No. But they did have some nice things, nothing that we decided to buy, but nice nonetheless. However, the tale doesn’t end here…they did tell us that we should go to The Spanish Table down the street to see if they had it.

Arriving at The Spanish Table we asked to be pointed in the direction of their sherries. We were shown over to “The Wall of Sherry”. Glancing around the different bottles and labels we couldn’t find it until the Hallelujah Chorus from Handel’s Messiah shone a light on the bottle we thought we were looking for. There in all of it’s glory was a $25 bottle of Tio Pepe (yes, the very bottle you claim to not be in existence). Then we thought about this alcoholic “Holy Grail” and decided that it was too much to spend…besides, it was Kosher for Passover (really, it was!). Noticing that there was a cheaper bottle next to it (cue Hallelujah Chorus), and the same size, we were about to pick that bottle up…but my arm started to feel heavy as I lunged forward to grab the $18 bottle of Tio Pepe. It was as if a higher power (my wallet) was stopping me from becoming one with the elixir. All of a sudden I found myself reaching for the $10 bottle of Tio Pepe and as I wrapped my nimble fingers around its neck, I heard a sigh coming from my left pocket.

It now sits in our fridge waiting for your arrival.

Love,

Tim & Jamie

P.S. We’re starting a tab on your visit and you’re already at $10

P.P.S. If Bram & Lou come before you and drink the Tio Pepe, you still owe us the $10

So, it has been 2 weeks since we first arrived in our new city. In those two weeks, since we are currently sans jobs, we have had the opportunity to explore Seattle and what it has to offer. Well we really haven’t hit the tip of the iceberg, but we have found a few things that we enjoy.

On the first Saturday we were here we walked over to the international fountain at Seattle Center. This fountain is set to music, kind of like the fountains at the Bellagio in Vegas. But this fountain allows people to play in it. It was quite busy today as it was a beautiful sunny day (see above picture).

Not far from the international fountain you can find our new favorite local record shop Easy Street Records. They don’t have Wicked Cheep Cd’s but, they do have $.99 Cd’s, You can’t beat that. The bad thing though is that they have a card they mark off when you buy Cd’s. If you buy enough you get a free CD. That’s just what we need, an excuse to buy more Cd’s!

One thing we found that just seemed completely baffling was the book vending machine.

Yes, the top 3 rows are books while the bottom 2 rows are healthy snacks. Who knew?

Now, moving on the the not so good for you snacks we are fond of, starting with the Top Pot Doughnut shop. I highly recommend the apple fritter, while Tim is more an old fashion glazed kinda guy. Honestly, I don’t think they could make anything taste bad here. We haven’t tried every kind of donut they have, but living only a block away, it will happen. Oh, yes it will!

Ok, so right about now you are thinking to yourself “Wow, one block from those delicious donuts, boy do they have it made.” But wait there’s more…
We found out today there is a cupcake store going into one of the storefronts on the first floor of our apartment building. The yellow leaf cupcake co. will be opening this spring. That means if I need a yummy treat, I just have to walk downstairs. Very dangerous!

With all this scrumptiousness so close to us you may be asking yourself “But Jamie and Tim how will you stay so fit and trim?” That’s easy, we walk everywhere. Not only is it good for the environment, it’s good for us. We’ve been averaging 3 miles a day. We took a walk along the waterfront the other evening at sunset. We passed the “good neighborhood,” with the fancy apartments on the water and walked a total of 5 miles.

This has been a great two weeks and we look forward to more exploration and sharing our finds.

After spending 50% of our obligatory stays to get a free night at one of the many hotels that are part of the Choice Hotels network, we set off this morning in fog that put visibility at about a 1/4 mile. That didn’t stop anyone, us included, in barrelling down Route 90/94 at 75 MPH. There’s nothing to really do in North Dakota/Montana but drive fast on straight roads. But wait, there’s more!

If you’re in the market for livestock, North Dakota is where you want to be. A virtual MegaMart of animal flesh is available for whatever your fancy may be. You can buy ducks, horses, buffalo, llama, cows, and night crawlers (they do love their hunting/fishing out here, even at Dairy Queen!). Land can be yours to house your menagerie for as little as $1 a sq. ft.

The elevation didn’t change much until we got closer to Montana. Which was hell on my clogged sinuses. It really is “God’s Country”, complete with Anti-Abortion and Say No To Meth billboards, a lot of sprawling landscapes and nature as far as the eye can see. We arrived in Billings, MT not knowing what to expect. The place is teeming with activity. Everything from the Wal-Mart SuperCenter to the 10 Minute Lube Hut (translation: Oil Change).

We decided to save a few bucks and pick up some things for dinner at the Wal-Mart SuperCenter. Whilst we were looking for some Vicks to unclog my plumbing, we got a call from Manny, the driver for the moving company. He said that he was waiting for us in Seattle. Our stuff beat us there! Funny thing is I don’t remember being passed by an Isaac’s Moving truck.

The nice thing is that we’ll be able to get all our stuff into the apartment and, theoretically, unpacked by the end of the weekend.